Leven place



(NoModeL) W., H. & J. CHAMBERS.- 'GOLLAPSIBLE BULWARK FOR LIFE BOATS, am.

No. 408;793. Patented Aug. 13, 1889..

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N. PETERS. Phulo-Lilhcgmpher. Washinglcn. {LG

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM CHAMBERS, HUGH CHAMBERS, AND JAMES CHAMBERS, OF STRATI-I- LEVEN PLACE, DUMBARTON, COUNTY OF DUMBARTON, SCOTLAND.

COLLAPSIBLE BULW'ARK FOR LIFE-BOATS, 80C.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 408,793, dated August 13, 1889- Application filed May 28, 1889. Serial No. 312,351. (No model.) Patented in England November 16, 1888, No. 16,628.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM CHAMBERS, HUGH CHAMBERS, and JAMES CHAMBERS, citi- Zens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Strathleven Place, Dumbarton, in the county of Dumbarton, Scotland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Partly-Collapsible Life and other Boats, (which have not been patented to in any country except Great Britain, by Let ters Patent dated the 16th day of Nove1n-- ber, 1888, No. 16,628,) and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will I5 enable others skilled in the art or manufacture to which it relates to make and use the same.

This invention relates to life and other boats, the bulwarks of which, forpurposes of 20 stowing the boat into smaller space on board ship when not in use, are made of stout canvas, or other like flexible material, and are capable of being folded down onto the body of the boat; and the invention has for its object the provision of improved means in conjunction with the said canvas sides or bulwarks for folding the same down and for maintaining the sides in their raised position when desired. On the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a life-boat having its canvas sides or bulwarks 00 furnished with the improved means constituting this invention for folding down and raising up and maintaining the same. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section showing one end of the side or bulwark folded down and the other end raised. Fig. 3 is a plan showing the side a of the bulwark in its raised and the other side I) in its folded position. It is, however, to be :under- 0 stood that in practice the gunwale or rail cis continuous round the ends of the boat, and is not divided at the point y, as shown by these figures.

The gunwale 'or rail 0, to which the top edges of the canvas sides or bulwarks :1: are attached, is cut or divided at d at or near midships at each side of the boat, the out being beveled or rabbeted. At the joints there are secured to one half of the rail or gunwale proj ecting pins or staples e, and to the other half folding clasps f, which have slots capable of being passed over the said staples or pins, the clasps f when so passed over holding the two sections of the gunwale rigidly together. The lower edge of the canvas bulwark is secured to the upper edge g of the boat proper, and the sections of the gunwale or rail are also connected to the boat by stanchions h, each of which is composed of two rigid struts arranged like shear-legs, the apex of the shearsthat is to say, the upper ends of both struts-of one pair being connected to the gunwale by a pin or bolt 1', while the lower ends are separately connected to the body of the boat by pins or bolts j 76.

The end stanchions h are each composed of one strut only, the second rigid strut having substituted for it a length of chain or rope Z, whichis hooked or otherwise fastened at its upper end to the gunwale or rail 0 and at its lower end to the body of the boat, as seen more particularly on Fig. 2, or in lieu of the said chain or rope a strut sliding at its lower end in a slot or guide may be substituted, in which case a pinchin screw or other provision 7 5 for retaining the lower end of the sliding strut in its adjusted position in the guide is made. All the pins or bolts z' j 70 are so arranged that in folding down or raising up the bulwark the motion of the stanchions h and of the sections 0 of the rail or gunwale is in a direction parallel to the length of the boat, while at the same time in folding down the motions of the two sections of the gunwale and of their respective stanchions are both toward the point Y, the inner ends of the section 0 of the gunwale when folded lying on the top of the inner ends of the section 0. By this arrangement the entire bulwark cc and gunwale 0 can be raised at once by simply go lifting the section 0 of the gunwale, and similarly the entire bulwark and rail can be folded down at one operation by depressing the section 0 of the gunwale, the inner ends of which are beveled or rabbeted over the inner ends 5 of the section 0, as before set forth.

Having now described our invention, what We desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is In a partly-collapsible life or other boat, a

gunwale or rail divided at or near midships In witness whereof We have hereunto set into two sections 0 0, adapted to receive and our hands and seals this 26th day of March, sustain a bulwark of flexible material, said 1880.

sections being connected to the boat by stnn- \VIL'LIAM CHAMBERS. ['L.

5 chions pivoted to said sections, which in rais- II'UGII CHAMBERS. LL. ing' and lowering the bulwark HIOVO through JAMES (Jl lAMBERS. [L. L.]

ares parallel to the longitudinal axis of the Witnesses: boat, the stanehions supporting one section of GEO. M. CRUIKSHANK, Fel. Inst. Pulthe rail moving in a direction opposite to emf Agents,

[0 those supporting the other section, substan- JOHN ARMSTRONG, J12, Clerk,

tinlly as described. 730/1! of 62 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow. 

